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France, UK carry out joint airborne nuclear-strike exercise for first time
Defense News • • world
Key Points:
- France and the United Kingdom conducted their first joint airborne nuclear strike exercise, with RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets escorting French Rafale jets on a simulated nuclear mission during the Rummy exercise.
- The drill reflects growing nuclear cooperation under a 2023 agreement aimed at closer coordination between the two countries amid concerns over U.S. security commitments and Russian aggression.
- France’s Rafale jets carry nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, providing an airborne nuclear component that the U.K. lacks, while both nations maintain independent strategic ballistic-missile submarine deterrents.
- The exercise involved no actual nuclear weapons but demonstrated high interoperability, with French and British crews operating from Saint-Dizier air base and included tanker support from A330 MRTT aircraft.
- Both countries reaffirm their sovereignty over nuclear forces and decision-making, agreeing to consider nuclear weapon use only under extreme defense circumstances, as emphasized in the Northwood Declaration.
